Abstract
Organic farming practices are commonly thought to reduce the environmental impact of agriculture and to preserve the naturalness of the products. Herein, we report the effect of crop management practices on nutritional and toxicological value of potato tubers. Comparative studies are often controversial and the results are dependent on genotype and methodological approach. Targeted analysis and “omics” strategies are discussed, pointing at the nutritional aspects and the corresponding biological and molecular processes involved. Organic farming supporters still do not accept the use of genetic modification to produce new varieties suited for organic agriculture and crop improvement by genetic engineering still sparks hot debate among various scientific and social factions whose major concern is the possible existence of unintended effects both on human and world health. In this context, the advent of “new plant breeding techniques” has reignited the discussion on genetic engineering and on the compatibility of the new technologies with an eco-friendly agriculture. Could cisgenic and genome-edited potatoes be new good options for organic agriculture? We discuss how these approaches can be used to address food security challenges and to overcome specific problems based on the biological characteristics of potato tubers, producing new varieties that can improve farmers’ profit with a lower impact on public opinion. However, political, ethical, and social fears will probably persist much longer, mainly in Italy, historically a fiercely anti-GM country with a European leadership in organic food production and export.
Highlights
Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is the third most important food crop worldwide after rice and wheat, with a total production of over 300 million metric tons, as stated by the International Potato Center (CIP), Lima, Perù [1]
Organic farming supporters still do not accept the use of genetic modification to produce new varieties suited for organic agriculture and crop improvement by genetic engineering still sparks hot debate among various scientific and social factions whose major concern is the possible existence of unintended effects both on human and world health
An approach based on integrated farming, the use of low-input agronomic practices and the use of genetically improved varieties requiring less inputs can be essential for enabling food security in a sustainable way
Summary
Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is the third most important food crop worldwide after rice and wheat, with a total production of over 300 million metric tons, as stated by the International Potato Center (CIP), Lima, Perù [1]. This clone contains the same traits as the first generation (low black spot bruise and low asparagine), plus two additional traits: resistance to late blight and low reducing sugars derived from wild or cultivated potatoes These improved clones provide significant sustainability benefits for potato growers, processors, and consumers. A similar approach was applied at the biotech Company Calyxt, to improve cold storage and processing traits of the variety Ranger Russet, through the knockout of potato vacuolar invertase gene (St Vlnv), involved in the production of reducing sugars in cold-stored tubers, resulting in a significant reduction of acrylamide levels in potato chips [38]. In other cases, targeted mutations by CRISPR/Cas were only induced in reporter genes and/or studied in vitro at molecular level [52,53]
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